Officials at the European Space Agency (ESA) announce the opening of a new website, which seeks to make traveling the Antarctic waters a lot safer than it is today. The Southern Ocean is very difficult to navigate through, especially when it comes to moving through the ice-laden waters close to Antarctica. The area is currently experiencing increased levels of ship traffic, and new shipping lanes are bound to be opened through these waters soon. As such, ensuring safe passage through the Southern Ocean is quickly becoming a priority for global trade.

Space-based information about Antarctic waters are of no importance if they are recorded beforehand, and so ESA has decided to use data collected via its Envisat spacecraft in real-time. The new website will include information about ice extent and other perils specific to the area, and will be updated constantly. Envisat's Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar is the instrument that will provide most of the images on the new Polar View Antarctic Node portal. The main advantage this radar has over other instruments is the fact that it can see through both clouds and darkness, which makes it especially suited for around-the-clock observation sessions.

“We have been able to provide information to users for the past three years, but the new website allows us to deliver much more information in a more efficient and accessible way. When you combine this with the increased amount of valuable imagery acquired by ESA we have a very powerful result,” says of the accomplishment British Antarctic Survey expert Andrew Fleming. The website allows users to zoom into areas of interest, and also download various useful information that they require. Though Envisat is the main contributor to the database at this point, ESA has big plans for the future.

The Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) initiative is being developed as a method of keeping an eye on Earth, tracking several aspects at the same time. As part of this project, ESA will soon launch the Sentinel satellites, which are destined to take over Envisat's current chores. When completed, the new constellation will allow end-users from around the world access to relevant data on the dangers lurking in Antarctic waters.